Looking Back on 2012 and Looking Ahead to 2013


One year is coming to a close and another is about to begin.  I made two lists to help me see where I have been and where I would like to go.


What I accomplished this year:

  1. Wrote a post for the Writers on the Move blog every month
  2. Attended three different day-long workshops and conferences
  3. Attended SCBWI meetings
  4. Participated in two online writing conferences
  5. Read books, magazines and blogs on writing
  6. Enrolled in two online writing classes
  7. Participated in NaNoWriMo
  8. Joined two online writing clubs
  9. Worked on picture book
  10. Learned about critiquing

Currently I’m reading a book written by a member of my local writer’s group before it’s published. She is in the revision process.  This will finish out 2012.

What do I hope to accomplish next year?

I went to the Diy MFA website, http://diymfa.com/writing/write-it-goals-sheet, and downloaded goal sheets to assist me in this process. I tried to print my copy in color but it printed in black and white. It’s still serviceable but not as pretty!

A partial list of my writing goals: (I’m still working on this.J)
  1. Learn Scrivener (http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php)
  2. Participate in NaNoWriMo (http://www.nanowrimo.org/)
  3. Attend online conferences and in-person conferences
  4. Blog for Writers on the Move
  5. Attend more SCBWI meetings and events (http://www.scbwi.org/)
  6. Work on picture book
  7. Read the stack of books that has been sitting in my home office, some of which are on writing
  8. Have professional photo taken to use for author platform

What did you accomplish this year? What are your writing goals for next year?  I hope you find inspiration in my 2012 and 2013 lists.

Debbie A. Byrne has a B.S. in Mass Communication with a minor in History. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is working on her first children’s book.

6 comments:

Mary Jo Guglielmo said...

I think this is a really useful tool. Each January my critique group gets together and share what our goals are for the coming year. Even though we know what each person has done in the past year, it would be useful to add that to the process.

Karen Cioffi said...

Debbie, you've accomplished quite a bit! We have numbers 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 in common as goals for the new year. :)

Heidiwriter said...

It's a great idea to review what you've accomplished (sometimes you find out you've done more than you thought you would!) And to set some (realistic, achievable) goals for the new year.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson said...

Oh, my gosh! You TRACKED these great accomplishments. We should all set doing this as a goal. It's such a great way to realize the strides we take in our careers each year. We all need a pat on the back--even if we're patting our own backs. (-:
Best,

Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Excited about how much the new edition of the Frugal Book Promoter (expanded! updated!) can help writers with the tried and true and the new media, too. Now a USA Book News award-winner in its own right (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) it the original edition was also a Reader Views winner and an Irwin Award winner.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson said...

PS: Debbie, if you aren't already subscribing to my SharingwithWriters newsletter, you might want to do it. I list places I present in it and I almost always present at a couple of FREE online writers conferences this year and some onsite ones as well. Coming up in February: Book 'Em (http://bookemnc.net) in North Carolina. Any or all would be great ways to reach your conference goal for 2013.
Best,

Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Excited about how much the new edition of the Frugal Book Promoter (expanded! updated!) can help writers with the tried and true and the new media, too. Now a USA Book News award-winner in its own right (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) it the original edition was also a Reader Views winner and an Irwin Award winner.

Debbie A Byrne said...

Thanks for the comments! Carolyn, I am signed up for your newsletter. :)

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